Laboratory Validation of SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM Serologic Assays on an Automated Immunoassay System

Overview: The design validation strategy for this study is to validate the detection of COVID-19 antibodies in subjects at Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) who test negative or positive with RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 using a fully automated system. This is a study of the immune response of subjects who have recovered from COVID-19 infection.

Methods: There are now commercial testing products from major invitro diagnostic diagnostics companies that appear to have been developed with significantly greater test performance in mind. HFHS (HFHS) intends to make this testing available in the near future after a rigorous verification of analytical performance. This verification will be done in collaboration a with select and proven IVD partner.

All HFHS patients > 18 years of age who were evaluated and who have COVID-19 PCR test results will have their medical records studies and a left-over specimen tested for validation purposes. This validation study will begin May 15, 2020 through November 15, 2020.

Impact: IVD manufacturers must rely on test specimens from suppliers (typically hospitals and reference laboratories) and attempt to replicate the test performance that will be achieved in the actual medical testing environment. In fact, samples collected and provided to vendors are usually at the convenience of the supplying institution. Data on the real-world performance of COVID-19 antibody tests derived from this study will have significant implications for patients and health systems, including patient disposition, risk prediction, return to work decisions, health system operations and more. Furthermore, assessment of immunity in patients with minimal or symptom free infections will provide rich knowledge to assess if certain patients need further risk mitigations (masks, distancing) and which may be safely return to more normal activities.